Mail and package tying device.



|. N. & P. M, EABY.

MAIL AND PACKAGE TYING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 3, I917.

1,228,1 92. Patented May 29, 1917.

pensively, and that they handled with the greatest possible speed.

capable of being untied ISAAC N. EABY A D PAULM. 'EABY,,OF'LA1\TCASTE.R; PENNSYLVANIA.

MAIL AND rAoKAGE TYiN'or Device.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1917.

Application filed February '3, i917. Serrano/1.46am;

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that we, IsAAo N. EABYRIlCl PAUL M. EABY, citizens of the United-States,

expensive device of few parts and easily made.

residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and State of Pennsylvania, have 1n vented certain new and useful Imp -O ments in Mail and Package Tying Devices;

and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to "which it appertains to make I position and use the same.

This invention relates to package tying devices of. general use, but more particularly adapted for use in tying bundles of mail.

In the mail service these packages must be tied with great rapidity and they must be with equal case. And it is most essential that these package tying devices be constructed simply, inexbe capable of being Devices of this same general nature have heretofore been proposed but have not been generally used, because they were found to be unsuited for such service, in that they necessitated an eXtra motion, or permitted the operators fingers to obstruct the cord tying movement, or did not provide an adequate holding surface for the operatofls hand, nor securely hold the package and did not afford a quick cord releasing movement.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a package or mail tie so constructed that packages may be quickly and securely tied and may with equal speed be untied without cutting or destroying the flexible cord.

Another object of this invention is to con struct a package tie formed with a holding means at a particular part thereof and so situated in respect to the .cord securing means that the device maybe securely held a in place while permitting a free and unobstructed tying movement.

Another object of this invention is to so locate the cord guide and the holding jaw on the fastening member that thedevice naturally adapts itself to the universal cord tying motion which is used in the mail service.

Another object of this invention is to looate the cord guide and the holding means so that when the package is tied, the cord nwind t e latter at its median s d s; nd

out the full length of the -with a roughened surface 3. "site end, the plate 18 provided with a nar- "wh-i-ch in the form shown consists of and to the l t of Another ob ect is to construct a simple, in-

A further feature of this invention is the relative disposition of the guide means, the

thumb hold, the attaching means for the "cord, and the final holding clip, so that the jpeedy universal tying movement is possible. nether feature resides in the angular disofthe'gu'ideto the holding member, permitting the cord; torest on the entire f-ace of the guide and to be held throughholding jaws.

Still other and further objects of this in vention will in part be obvious and will in part be' pointed out in the specification hereinafter following and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure-1 represents a plan view showing the application of the tying device to a pack age of letters and illustrating the initial stage of the universal way of tying, letters as used in the postal service;

F ig. 2' representsthe same, showing the completed movement; v

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the fastener; and Fig. 4 is alongitud-inal section'of the fastener. i r Y The improved fastening member consists of'a substantially flat plate 1, of any suitable material, but preferably of sheet metal or metal of [sufficient thiclrness to afford the requisite stiffness. having a broadened, heelsha-ped holding end 2, preferably provided At the opporowedthe 4: formed at arr-angle to the thumbpiece to facilitate the desired movement and member, a spring gripping jaw 5, which, when the plate is made ofmetalycan be formed by bending back the toe blank as shown in F ig. 4. Located approximately in the center of the plate and separated from the thumb-piece is the guide member 6, preferably formed by slitting the plate and bending upward the end of such slitted portion in the form of a lip or projection 7. This member differs from the jaw 5, in that the former merely guides the cord whereas the latter functions as a positive holding member. Substantially midway between the guide 6 and the jaw 5 provided with ,acordsecuring both, the plate is pro ided thus allowing greater speed in the tying movement, and it also allows the cord to contact across the entire face of the guide 6 and the jaw 5, thus insuring a more secure fastening.

By reference to Fig. 4, it will be seen that when the cord is drawn into the spring jaw 5', it will be held securely by a wedging action and that when it is desired to release the cord it is merely necessary to free the cord from the gripping jaws. In using this device the package is held in the left hand, the short side of the letter at the top, the plate lying diagonally, as shown in Fig. 1, and the thumb of the left hand resting on the roughened heel, holding the plate firmly against the package and facing the operator; the cord is passed up and over the top, rearwardly and down the back of the packet, then forwardly and upwardly to the guide 6, across the same to the left, as shown in Fig. 1. From this position the cord is carried around and across the back of the bundle to the right and hence to the final gripping jaw 5, as shown in Fig. 2, finishing the tie with a movement away from the operators body. Finally, if desired the free end of the cord may be pulled downwardly which gives the plate a slight tilting move ment, tightening the cord and also wedging it more firmly between the jaws 5. Obviously, if it be desired, the cord may be carried a number of times around the package before passing between the jaws 5. And this extra wrapping is permitted by the liberal space between the guide 6 and the jaws 5 and also by the angular disposition of these members.

The above manner of passing a cord around a packet of mail is the same as is Copies of this patent may be obtained for vidual members, uninterrupted and unobstructed by the other,

intermediate of said ing means and laterally five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

used in the postal. service and is known as the universal movement, and this device is particularly adapted for this exact motion, its construction allowing the operators thumb to tightly hold the plate and at the same time to be out of the way of the cord When it passes across the packet.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A mail or package tying device consisting of a substantially flat, oblong plate pro vided at one end with a thumb-piece, a cord guide independent thereof and separated therefrom, said guide being integral with -the plate and projecting upwardly there from, cord holding means formed at the opposite end of the plate, and cord attaching means located at one side of said plate and guide and holding means.

2. A mail. or package tying device consisting of a substantially fiat, oblong plate broadened at one end to provide a thumb-- piece and at the other end having a slightly offset toe portion provided with cord gripping means, said plate being slotted intermediate its ends to provide an integral, up-

wardly-projecting guide tongue and a cord located between the guide attaching means means and laterally and cord gripping thereof.

3. An article of manufacture consisting of an oblong plate of sheet metal of single thickness throughout, having an enlarged end roughened on its upper surface to provide a holding face, and being slotted adjacent thereto to form an integral guide tongue above the surface of the plate, the

projecting folded back opposite end of the plate being to provide a spring holding jaw, said plate being also provided with a cord attaching means located between said guide and hold offset therefrom. In testimony whereof we affiX our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC N. EABY. PAUL M. EABY.

\Vitnesses.

A. K. SPURRIER, A. M. KnEsnY'.

Commissioner of Patents, 

